


even asleep, i think of you

by grootmorning



Category: The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Curtis doesn't know anything or anybody, F/M, Frank is not healing up well, Takes place after Curtis operates on Frank, and he's looking for Karen, the three of them would be such good friends i know it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-05 11:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12793710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grootmorning/pseuds/grootmorning
Summary: 'Who was she?' was the only thought on Curtis' mind as he watched David pull her into the room where Frank was lying, almost by force.-Frank's sick and he asks for Karen in his delirium.





	even asleep, i think of you

David scrubbed at his face with his hands. Looking down at the man lying on the cot, David pressed a hand to his forehead, checking his temperature.  _Shit_ , he mentally swore. Frank was burning up.

He knew a fever was a sign of infection. Curtis had said that the arrow was what kept Frank from healing properly and had instructed him to change the dressing daily, keep it clean and make sure that Frank took the antibiotics on schedule. He'd followed all this to the letter. But apparently, the infection may have set in before they took action.

Rinsing out the cloth, David switched it for a new, cool one, laying it across Frank's forehead. The small amount of soup and water he'd managed to get Frank to swallow earlier before the medication was not enough. But he couldn't wake Frank up for another round. He'd tried.

Frank wouldn't wake.

The phone shook in his hand as he waited for Curtis to pick up.

"Curtis, we have a problem."

-

Curtis had put on gloves and was methodically checking each of Frank's wounds for infection. Frank's breathing was still laboured and his skin was still flushed and warm. David bit at his nails. A bad nervous habit, he knew, but if there ever was a time for a nervous tic, this was probably it. This could not be happening. They hadn't even gotten close to finishing their mission. And if he had to admit it, he'd come to treat Frank as a friend. Sure, he'd wanted to stab him through the eye when he was being frustrating, but they worked well together.

A sigh.

David looked up, "How is he? I tried - "

"It's not your fault," Curtis waved him off. "The infection must have started before I got the arrow out of him. His body is trying to fight it, but he's been battered and wounded for such a long period of time that it's just taking longer than usual. We just gotta nurse him until he gets better. Get him as prepped as we can to fight the infection off; the medicines can only do so much."

Closing his eyes, David nodded. The mission would have to wait.

-

Curtis had temporarily moved in to their bunker. It wouldn't do for David to call every time there was a medical question or emergency. It just wasn't efficient enough, and in a matter of life and death, if it came to it, Curtis wanted to be there. 

He needed to be.

David was dozing in the corner cot. Curtis had volunteered to take the night shift. He placed a hand on Frank's warm one, sighing. 

"Come on, Frank. You've taken on worse and we both know it."

The half filled cup of water sat by the bed, waiting. Should he try and wake Frank up for another sip?

The question was answered for him when Frank cracked an eye open. "Curtis?"

"Hey, man. Welcome back to the world of the living," Curtis gripped his hand gratefully, shifting closer quietly. 

Frank's eyes were glazed over, and he blinked hard to focus. "Where - "

"You're in the bunker, with David. Where you guys have been holing up for the past week? I don't know how long you've been here."

Frank shook his head, his other hand coming up to tug weakly at Curtis' shirt. His mouth opened and shut, lips cracked and trying to form the words he wanted. "What - Where's - "

He accepted the water Curtis gave him, sipping at it slowly. "Take your time. Don't push yourself," Curtis helped him lie back down from the position he'd pushed up to in his distress.

The simple movements had already tired Frank out. His eyes slowly closed again as he mumbled, "K'ren."

"Karen?" David was up from his cot and over in a split second. "You want Karen?" But Frank had fallen back into his slumber. David cursed, loudly and creatively, pulling at his hair.

"Who's Karen?" 

There was no answer as David was already rummaging through Frank's pockets. A sound of triumph escaped him as he finally located it, snapping it open and scrolling through quickly. Curtis watched as he mumbled a small prayer under his breath before pushing a button and putting the phone up to his ear.

He looked back down at Frank, shifting in his fevered sleep uncomfortably.

_Who's Karen?_

-

 _Who was she?_ was the only thought on Curtis' mind as he watched David pull her into the room where Frank was lying, almost by force.

"Shit, you weren't lying," were her first words as she pushed her bag off onto the ground, dropping to Frank's bed side. She bit at her lip, worrying it as she looked back up at David. "I'm sorry I hit you in the face, I thought you were kidnapping me."

"It's okay, I probably shouldn't have been waiting in the shadows."

Curtis bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as David dug around their pantry for a bag of frozen peas to press to his bruised cheek. This girl did that? He could see why she would get along with Frank.

"What happened?" Karen addressed him.

Curtis pointed at the biggest bandage on Frank's shoulder, "Got shot with a metal tipped arrow and we got it out, but I think an infection set in before we got to it. He's gotta fight this on his own. We're giving him meds and water and shit but he's gotta do this."

"Hey," Karen pressed gentle fingers to Frank's brow, swiping off some of the perspiration that had beaded on his forehead. "Frank?"

Curtis watched the familiar way she touched him, and shot David a questioning look. He shrugged in response, flipping the bag of frozen peas to get at the cold side.

They had been in the same positions for almost twenty minutes before Frank stirred again. Karen scrambled up again, pressing the back of her hands to Frank's temple. "Frank?"

"Karen?" Frank's face went from slack to adorably confused in seconds. "What're you doing here?" The mumbling was so soft, Curtis could barely hear him. He used Frank's movement to check the dressing on his back. Minimal blood, hopefully it was trying to heal.

"A little birdie told me you were looking for me," she smiled as Frank reached up to touch her hair, as if making sure she was real. 

"I'mma kill him," was Frank's low grumble and Karen laughed, a watery sound. 

"You're hurt, you will do no such thing."

"I'm 'kay."

"No, you're not," Karen took his hand, holding it tight in both of hers. "You look like shit."

"Better now," Frank mumbled, and accepted the cup of water that Karen pressed to his lips. "Here." 

The worry lines around Karen's eyes softened as she took in the implications of the unspoken words he couldn't utter. Leaning over, she dropped a kiss onto his fevered brow, letting them linger as Frank drifted off again.

Curtis had excused himself. It felt like a scene too private and intimate for him to be present at and he brought his kit over to check on David.

"You'll bruise up good, but there's no lasting damage," Curtis put the peas back onto his face as David winced. 

They stood in silence for a bit, watching as Karen pulled up the chair Curtis had left at her back, sitting on it, but refusing to let go of Frank's hand.

"She's a reporter," David offered, and Curtis turned towards him curiously. "A legal assistant previously, and a personal assistant before that."

"You dug into her past."

It wasn't a question and David inclined his head. "I did that before, when I was still looking into Frank. Had to make sure he wasn't compromised, that the mission wasn't going to be," he shifted his weight, relieving the strain on his raised hand. "Probably should have thought it through before I actually called her, but I panic in stressful situations."

"What else do you know about her?"

"She was framed for a murder at Union Allied, eventually worked for the lawyers that worked on her case, Nelson and Murdock. Her name is on many of the pieces that are about vigilante justice and she was on top on of the many exposes of the corruption in Hell's Kitchen." 

Curtis blinked at the barrage of information. "Hell of a woman," Curtis packed up his kit, leaning back against the kitchen counter.

"To put up with Frank?" David dropped the completely defrosted bag of peas into the kitchen sink, making a face as he poked at his cheek. "Yeah."

 _No,_ Curtis thought. He eyed the way Frank's hand was lying curled around her wrist as if afraid to let go. _Neither of them were simply putting up with each other at this point._

_-_

"Karen punched you? You got punched by Karen?"

"In my defence, I wasn't expecting her to punch me, and I got caught by surprise."

Frank snorted, "I figured. Got surprised when she pulled a gun on me too."

Curtis sighed, "I'm going to have to keep a bigger bag of medical supplies on hand, aren't I?"

"You wait until she hits you, then you'll see."

"At the rate I'm putting up with you two? I'll probably help her hit the both of you."

"Traitor."

**Author's Note:**

> i was just tossing it around with [elisa](http://archiveofourown.org/users/starsdust/pseuds/starsdust) on possible canon divergences and this came up. what do you guys think?
> 
> tumblr: [here](http://ltfrankcastle.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [here](http://twitter.com/ltfrankcastie)


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